


don't you forget about me

by leighbot



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, M/M, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-12
Updated: 2015-02-12
Packaged: 2018-03-11 23:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3337160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leighbot/pseuds/leighbot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Zayn knows it might sound silly what he’s doing- purposefully landing himself in detention so he can have a bit of peace and quiet to study- but he thinks he’s been driven almost to the point of madness by the constant chatter in the Ravenclaw common room and he’s out of options. N.E.W.T.S. are right around the corner and if he’s going to join the Aurors after school he’s going to have to be better than everyone else.</i> </p><p>Or, the horribly self-indulgent Hogwarts meets The Breakfast Club AU where Zayn just wants some time to study but things don't really go as planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	don't you forget about me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [firelightfeather](https://archiveofourown.org/users/firelightfeather/gifts).



> Based on a wonderful Hogwarts prompt that I somehow mashed up with The Breakfast Club and then… this happened! I know it isn’t 100% what you asked for, dear, but I hope you love it still!
> 
> I am in _no_ way a Hogwarts expert, my admission letter got lost some years ago and inquiries addressed to ‘Magical Castle somewhere in England’ have gone unanswered, but I did try to fact-check that I wasn’t completely making up things. And I say You-Know-Who's name so... squick warning if Ralph Fiennes without a nose upsets you?
> 
> I had an army help me with this, and I am so forever grateful to the four people who [ responded](http://ineedreallifefriends.tumblr.com/) [ to](http://poppunk1d.tumblr.com/) [ my](http://itinerantvae.tumblr.com/) [ SOS](http://3bookworm33.tumblr.com/) . I know I’ve thanked you all already but I am really so happy you guys volunteered your time. Any remaining mistakes are mine.
> 
> Thanks to the moderators (admins? g-ds above?) who put up with me spamming their email from four different accounts and always responded so nicely.
> 
> Title from 'Don’t You (Forget About Me)' by Simple Minds. I suggest playing it on repeat and thrusting your fist into the air randomly. I think it adds to the story.

Zayn knows it might sound silly what he’s doing- purposefully landing himself in detention so he can have a bit of peace and quiet to study- but he thinks he’s been driven almost to the point of madness by the constant chatter in the Ravenclaw common room and he’s out of options. N.E.W.T.S. are right around the corner and if he’s going to join the Aurors after school he’s going to have to be better than everyone else. After the fall of Voldemort, the Auror profession has become more popular but the need was dwindling, and there are less and less spots available, sometimes three or four years between new hires. Zayn _needs_  to be the most impressive.

Which is how he finds himself marching up to Headmistress McGonagall and knocking her plate to the floor in front of the entirety of the school during supper one day. Her face is shocked- Zayn’s always been a model student and he’s never so much as raised his voice to anyone- but she has no choice but to deduct 50 points from Ravenclaw and assign him detention for the following evening.

Zayn tries not to let his relief show- there was always a chance she could have made him scrub the bed pans in the hospital wing or something else time-consumingly atrocious- and he just nods and apologizes, spinning around and walking briskly from the room, his robes billowing out behind him.

~*~

Friday evening, Zayn shows up early to the library wing where his detention slip had directed him. He’s blissfully alone and he hopes it stays that way as he signs in near the front of the room, the parchment enchanted to record the time he checks in. He sets his bag down and slips out of his robes, folding them neatly and putting them on the chair next to him. He grabs his Defense Against the Dark Arts book and his quill and ink, sliding some parchment out of a separate pocket in his bag before beginning to write his latest assigned essay comparing and contrasting the advantages and disadvantages of using an invisibility cloak or a Polyjuice potion.

He’s written six inches on the disadvantage of carrying the Polyjuice on a person’s body when someone new comes into the room. It isn’t the professor as he might have expected, but a smiling blonde boy Zayn recognizes from shared Charms classes.

“How’d you end up here?” Niall asks, his accent thick as he bounces over to Zayn.

Zayn hastily moves his ink out of the way as Niall hops onto the table, grabbing for his parchment and whistling as he reads it.

“I threw McGonagall’s plate to the floor yesterday during dinner,” he says, trying to get his parchment back.

Niall evades him for a minute, sliding off the table on the other side as he continues to read. “This is impressive,” he says sincerely, handing it carefully back to Zayn. “Going for Auror, right?”

“Gonna try.”

“I’m definitely not fierce enough for that,” Niall laughs, sliding into a chair in front of Zayn’s table and propping his feet on the table in front of him so he can let his head fall back and still see Zayn.

“How do I look upside-down?” he asks, mildly irritated by the interruption but letting it pass. Niall has that effect on people, thanks in part to his charm and blue eyes. Zayn’s never been able to resist him before when they’ve interacted, always taken by his ease and _joie de vivre_.

“Still gorgeous,” he says with a laugh and Zayn rolls his eyes, ignoring the way his face heats at the words and forcing himself to turn back to his essay.

~*~

Niall’s dozed off by the time the next two people arrive in a storm of bickering, and Zayn can’t help but cringe when he recognizes the Slytherin and Gryffindor Quidditch Captains. Louis- in his pressed pants and school sweater vest, green and silver tie loose around his neck, shirt untucked and hair askew- comes in first, cheeks pink from anger as he shouts at the broad boy behind him. Liam’s in his complete uniform with his robes, red and gold tie tucked in properly but his face is even darker as he shouts back, their voices layering over each other’s until the librarian comes out from his office and shushes them.

They fall silent immediately, Liam taking a seat at the first table and Louis plopping down at the third next to Niall, who’s awake and looking crabby about it.

“Aye, Tommo,” Zayn hears him mutter as he shifts in his seat. “Keep it down, yea? I was having a good dream.”

Louis’ smile is sharp in response and Zayn can see his pointy little teeth from where he’s sat. “Keep telling you to get yourself a boyfriend, mate, then you wouldn’t have to worry about dreams.”

Niall punches him playfully before seeming to doze off again.

Zayn expects Louis to follow the same idea, but is surprised when he sets his bag down and pulls out a parchment and quill. He digs around for a moment before sighing, looking around and seeing Zayn for possibly the first time.

“Hey, Malik,” Louis says, friendly enough. They had always got on, having shared DODA classes the year before. Zayn doesn’t know why Louis’ going for his N.E.W.T.S. since he’s clearly made for Quidditch but he doesn’t have any issues with him. “Don’t happen to have any extra ink on you? I must have left mine behind.”

Zayn thinks he hears a ‘ _figures’_ from the front of the room but he ignores it, digging around in his bag and coming up with a spare that he hands over with a smile.

~*~

He’s almost finished with the essay, summarizing why he believes Polyjuice potion- in the end- is the safest bet when looking to disguise one’s self, when a fifth person arrives. He looks up to see another seventh-year come in, escorted by Professor Cowell, and wonders what the Gryffindor flirt has gotten himself into now.

Harry’s sat in the empty row to himself, Cowell letting go of his arm before marching to the front of the room. Zayn’s had Cowell for the last two years in his Transfiguration classes and doesn’t expect the professor to stay and monitor them.

Sure enough, he signs his own name into the record book and levels them all a look before sweeping from the room.

Harry’s laughing by the time the door closes, loud chuffs that make Zayn want to smile, too. Niall’s awakened from the commotion again and he kicks the back of Harry’s chair.

“Hey, Styles. Who’d you get caught with this time?”

“Nah, me and some mates tried to sneak down to Hogsmeade. The tavern’s got a new shipment in and we were gonna try it.”

“Aw, I wish I coulda gone. How far’d you make it?”

“Not hardly at all. Got to the middle of the tunnel to Honeydukes- you know, the one in Gunhilda’s hump?- when Cowell caught us. I threw some of my darkness powder to create a diversion but he recognized me and found me after.”

“It’s the curls,” Louis pipes in, “I’d recognize you anywhere, meself.”

Zayn’s hardly shocked to see a light blush color Harry’s cheeks as he winks, knowing the history between the two of them has more than just a single sordid story in it.

Harry turns around with a cheeky grin and leans forward to  talk to Liam, who seems like he’s in a worse mood than detention should really cause. He can’t hear their conversation but he can see when Liam relaxes and smiles, and Zayn gets a funny feeling in his stomach that he’d quite like to make Liam smile like that at _him_.

~*~

An hour later and he’s almost finished with his essay for Potions focusing on all the uses of a bezoar when the sound of whispers distracts him. Niall and Harry are having an intense conversation and Liam’s turned in his seat to watch them.

“What’s going on?” he asks, setting his things aside.

“Ugh,” Niall leans back in his seat, raising his voice slightly. “I booby-trapped the Head Boy’s room and I have to disarm it before he walks in, or else McGonagall will have me head.”

“What’d you rig it to do?”

“Well,” and here Niall smirks, “I crossed a thin wire chest-height in his doorway so when he walks through it pulls down a bucket of water. The water’s enchanted so he won’t be able to dry himself for a couple days. Then a Whiz-Bang goes off behind him when the bucket’s empty and it’ll hopefully cause him to fall forward where I have a can of paint ready to fall on him too. The paint won’t come off until the water does, so he’s going to spend the whole day tomorrow completely drenched and purple.”

Louis’ laughing and even Harry looks intrigued. “What’d he do, Niall?”

“Oh, you know, always on my case about something. Got me sent to detention cause I released some enchanted toads in the Great Hall and when they turned into spiders everyone freaked. Can’t let it happen now though, cause McGonagall said I’d be expelled if I got into any more trouble before summer. I didn’t put up with everything here for seven years to get kicked out with a month to go.”

Zayn’s frowning by the end. “Steven’s a good guy, he’s in my house. I’m sure he was just doing his job.”

They all turn to look at him, and he notices slightly that Liam looks relieved. “Steven’s always helped me with my Transfiguration and Divination. I don’t think that’s very nice, Niall,” he adds to support Zayn.

Niall shrugs but looks properly admonished, nobody liking to disappoint Liam. Nobody except-

“I’m sure you _have_ always liked Steven. Proper moon-eyed over him, Payno? What’d, he pity you once and take you on a date so now you’re star-struck?”

Liam flushes red and Zayn figures most of what Louis’ said is probably accurate. Still, he kicks the back of his chair. “Be nice,” he hisses.

Louis glares at him but goes quiet.

“Regardless,” Niall starts again. “I’ve got to get to his room before his patrols are over but I’m stuck here for the next four hours.”

“Let’s go then,” Louis suggests, rolling up his parchment.

Before anyone can say anything else, Zayn interrupts again.

“Hang on. Is that _all_ for the Defense essay? That’s got to be over 2 _feet_. I barely made the 12-inch requirement, and I sourced every book I could find.”

Louis smiles at him and hands it over. “Real life experience,” he shrugs. As Zayn unscrolls it, he feels his eyes widen at all the details.

“What do you mean, _real life_?” he hisses, fuming. How’s he going to impress anyone with Tomlinson right behind him.

“I’ve done both. I’ve snuck around this school so many times I’ve _invented_ ways of disguising myself. I listed those in the end notes.”

 _End notes_ , Zayn mouths as he finishes scanning. He has to admit, some of the points Louis has made are more in depth than Zayn’s, and his conclusion is completely different.

Studying Niall and Louis as they stand up and prepare to sneak out, he makes an impulsive decision.

“I’m coming, too.”

They stare in shock, all four boys with their eyes on him. He blushes but stands up, tossing his things into his bag. “If I’m going to make it through Auror training, I’m going to need ‘real life’ experience, too. You’re going to teach me.”

Louis looks completely delighted, and Zayn smiles as well. Niall shrugs, _the more the merrier_ he seems to say and then Zayn turns to the last two boys.

“Are you two coming?” he asks.

Harry says ‘ _yes_ ’ as Liam says ‘ _no_ ’ and then look at each other in disbelief.

Liam speaks first. “Harry, you’re going to get in so much trouble if you’re caught skipping detention!”

Harry shrugs and stands, circling his desk to Liam’s chair. “C’mon, Payno, live a little. You’ve been a model student for seven years, you’re owed a break.”

Liam grumbles and holds firm, tugging his arm where Harry’s hand has it gripped. Harry gets jerked from the motion and falls into Liam’s lap, a soft _oof_ falling from his lips.

Harry’s giggling and Liam’s tomato red and Zayn immediately whips his head around when he hears Louis behind him make a soft sound.

His face is flushed and his eyes are bright as he looks at them, and suddenly Zayn _gets_ it. He walks away from where Harry and Liam are getting to their feet, coming to a stop next to Louis’ shoulder.

“So, it’s like that, Tommo? Can’t decide whether you love or hate Liam?” he teases, holding eye contact with the shorter boy.

Louis rolls his eyes and brushes his fringe from his face distractedly. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, Malik.”

Zayn laughs when he rushes from the room, Niall and Harry hot on his heels. He reaches a hand out to Liam, who surprisingly takes it. “We’re not going to let Tomlinson have all the fun, now, right?”

Liam still looks nervous but he nods anyway, shouldering his bag and following Zayn out.

~*~

They manage to make it to the Head Boy’s room without getting caught by any teachers, most of the castle out roaming the grounds in the late spring warmth. Zayn and Liam had dropped hands as soon as the other boys had noticed and Zayn finds himself missing the warmth. He sticks close to Liam’s side, sneaking through the halls like Batman, whipping their robes behind them like capes and making their voices artificially deep. He hasn’t met any other Muggleborns that share his affinity for superhero movies and comics before- Harry preferring _indie_ films, no thanks- and he and Liam are soon fast friends.

Zayn catches Louis’ eye when they reach the common room and he almost laughs at the look of jealousy on the other boy’s face. He reaches a hand out to squeeze Louis’, pulling a face to make him smile, the moment passing.

Louis guesses the password quickly- _seriously, he used his mum’s name, maybe we should leave the traps as is-_ and bounces through the room without thinking. The other boys call out after him but it’s Liam who reaches him first, pulling Louis back into his chest and wrapping an arm around his waist to tug him out of the room just as the bucket of water falls, missing him by only a second.

Zayn watches as Louis catches his breath from Liam knocking the wind out of him, Liam’s arm still tight where he’s holding the smaller boy. Zayn can see where their skin touches, Liam’s forearm against Louis’ soft stomach, and he’s suddenly fascinated with the flush coloring both of their cheeks.

Niall looks horrified at almost having dunked his friend. He whips out his wand, muttering _tergeo_ under his breath and siphoning the liquid back into the bucket. Harry gets his wand in hand as well, levitating the paint bucket out carefully. Zayn pulls his attention from Louis and Liam, who have finally broken away from each other and are standing with their backs together, and rushes to help the other boys, clearing the wire rig and making sure nothing in the room seems disturbed.

They rush back to the hall, the portrait swinging closed behind them as they hear footsteps approaching. They duck into a narrow corridor, a statue of Albus Dumbledore partially hiding the entrance. Seconds after, Steven comes into his view, holding the hand of a pretty sixth-year and talking with her in a hushed tone. The way they’re smiling at each other makes Zayn slightly wistful, and he turns to Niall- planning to rub it in his face that he would have ruined an innocent bystander’s day, too- when he sees Liam shove Louis up against the wall, a determined look on his face.

He’s about to stop them- they don’t need to start fighting and call attention to where they’re all hidden- but then Liam’s leaning further in and fitting their mouths together and all the words Zayn knows are suddenly gone.

He looks around at Harry and Niall and sees a shocked expression on both of their faces that he knows is mirrored on his own. He turns back just in time to watch Liam pull away just slightly, biting Louis’ bottom lip.

“I can’t stand you sometimes,” Liam says, moving back in to kiss him. When he pulls away again a heartbeat later, he adds, “You’re so _dumb_. We’re going to get rid of a booby-trap, _why_ would you go prancing through the door?”

Louis looks irritated but he doesn’t answer, fisting his hands in Liam’s robes and pulling the boy back in.

“I wasn’t really expecting this,” Niall laughs, voice carrying in the narrow space. He sets his bucket down as quietly as he can, next to the one Harry’s already discarded.

“I don’t know what to say,” Zayn says, giggling nervously. Watching two people who previously _hated_ each other now kissing in front of him has him feeling disoriented.

Harry laughs under his breath, eyes fixated where Liam’s gripping Louis’ hips. “You’re telling me. He was kissing me yesterday and now he’s all over his biggest rival?”

“So the rumors are true, then?” Zayn knows it isn’t his business and that he probably shouldn’t have asked, but he can’t help himself.

“What rumors?” Louis asks distractedly as Liam pulls away and steps back, the two of them turning to face him.

He opens his mouth to reply but the sight of Louis bringing his fingers to his own lips to feel where Liam’s had been strikes him silent, and he flushes and looks away. Niall sees his discomfort and supplies helpfully, “The whole school talks about you and Hazza.”

Harry and Louis exchange a quick glance before looking away and laughing, and the blush on Liam’s cheeks says more than Zayn can understand. “What’s so funny?” he demands. “It’s true, everyone talks about it.”

Harry comes over to stand between Zayn and Niall, one arm around each of them to pull them closer. His voice is deep, barely above a whisper, when he explains. “The rumors aren’t exactly a _lie_ ,” he starts, “but I actually spent last night with _Liam_.”

If possible, Liam’s flush darkens further, color spreading down his neck and disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt. Louis smirks and reaches out to pinch Liam’s hip but he bats him away and steps out of his reach, closer to Zayn.

“Your boyfriend’s making out with Liam and you never tol’ me, Tommo?” Niall accuses, his own hand slung around Harry’s waist.

“S’none of mine what Hazza decides to do. Should’ve let Payno save me from one of your stupid pranks before, seems to bring out his hero mode.”

“Well, you’re such a pretty damsel in distress,” Harry teases back.

Zayn wants to join the banter, honestly he does, but he’s never had the type of friendship these boys do and he suddenly feels awkward and out-of-place. He tunes out Louis’ retort and moves away from Harry, closer to the entrance. The coast is clear, Steven and his partner locked away in his room, and Zayn steps out.

The boys follow after him single-file, the return trip to the library decidedly less fun now that Liam is stood back with Louis instead of playing caped crusader with him.

They turn a corner, only to be met with the sight of Professor Cowell up the corridor from them, clearly on his way to the library. They back up quickly and take off running down another turn, looking for a back way in.

“Hold on, I think I know one!” Harry calls out after a moment. He leads them quickly to an empty wall across from a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls ballet.

Niall grins, “I know this room! The house elves showed it to me! How are you gonna use it?”

“What is it?” Liam asks, brows furrowed.

“It’s gonna lead us to the library, it can create anything you want-”

“Except food,” Niall interjects glumly, rubbing his stomach.

“- you just have to _really_ want it,” Harry finishes, ignoring Niall. “And I _really_ don’t want to spend another Friday night in detention.”

He shoos them back and begins pacing the length of the hallway, passing the stone wall three times with his eyes closed and a look of concentration etched on his face. When he opens his eyes, he whoops in glee.

Zayn had been so focused on watching Harry, he hadn’t seen a door appear but it’s there now, dark and imposing. He feels his jaw drop in shock but before he can ask any further questions, he’s shuffled through it by Louis.

They rush in and are greeted to the sight of a flight of stairs, winding down several stories. They run down as quickly as they can, careful not to step on each other’s robes, before crashing through another door at the bottom and finding themselves in the back annex of their wing.

They race to their seats, Louis sliding into his next to Niall just as the large library doors open and Professor Cowell comes in. They hold their breath, knowing they’re all red in the face and slightly winded from their running. He doesn’t say anything but levels them a look, resting on each face for a moment before turning around.

He calls out over his shoulder, “Nice use of the Room of Requirement, Styles. You guys get an extra hour now, _do_ try to remain in the library.”

They all groan and slump back in their seats, but then the door closes behind the professor and Liam turns around to them.

“That was fun. What else can we do?”

~*~

They bicker about whether or not to leave the library, Liam surprisingly voting with Louis to go while Harry, Niall and Zayn vote to stay.

Louis throws an offended look at Niall but the blond just shrugs. “Can’t afford any more problems, Tommo. We’re not all get called up for the national team like you.”

Harry rounds on Louis with wide eyes. “You got called up for England and you _didn’t tell me_ ,” he hisses.

Louis glares daggers at Niall and crosses over to Harry, taking his hand. “I was _going to_ but I wanted to wait, make a big show of it.”

“Wow, Louis. That’s so great!” Zayn says, genuinely excited. Getting called up is a huge deal anyway, but knowing he’s only eighteen makes it even more impressive.

“It’s just for the reserve team, I won’t be starting. But I’ll get to train with Ginny Potter.”

Harry wraps Louis in a hug, practically lifting him off the floor before Louis darts away.

“Let’s have a party now!” he shouts, dancing away as Niall and Harry play-lunge for him.

~*~

In the end, the party is hardly more than some biscuits and tea that Niall summons from the Great Hall, the sound of the castle having dinner resonating through the floor, but they sprawl out between their desks, their robes discarded and shirts rolled up. They’re all talking about the future, Harry admitting in a hushed tone that he’s nervous about leaving school.

“I just don’t know what to do. I guess I’ll go into the Ministry like mum wants, but I really like playing music.”

“Do it then, you’ve got the rest of your life to get a stuffy office job. Those curls and dimples will go to waste behind a desk,” Niall encourages.

Liam shakes his head, leaning forward. “You can’t just not have a _plan_ , though, Harry,” he says earnestly.

Louis groans dramatically, flinging his head back where it’s pillowed on Harry’s thigh. “ _Payno_ ,” he admonishes. “Hasn’t today made you any less _responsible_? I was starting to like you.”

Zayn’s impressed when Liam just rolls his eyes and nudges Louis’ foot with his own, and he thinks privately that Liam’s already making strides if a sarcastic comment from Louis doesn’t result in a shouting match. “Shut up,” he says. “You still like me.”

“Eh, maybe,” he concedes with a smile.

Zayn focuses back on his Defense essay, determined to add more depth to it, and he must not hear Harry say his name until he practically shouts it.

“What?” Zayn asks, looking up.

They’re all staring at him and he can feel himself flush from the attention, realizing he’s been asked a question.

Harry repeats himself, “Why do you want to be an Auror?”

“I want to take care of my family,” he shrugs. “Want to make me mum proud. She didn’t like the magic thing at first but she’s grown used to it. And with Safaa being in her first year, things are getting more expensive. Muggle schools aren’t cheap either.”

For some reason, his answer makes Niall’s face fall. “Zayn, you can’t do something just for them. You have to do it for you, too.”

He feels a flash of annoyance at his words but doesn’t know how to respond. Niall doesn’t understand what it’s like, he’s the baby of his family. Before he can really explain what he means, Louis speaks up next.

“It’s different for us, Niall. No, we don’t _have_ to take care of our families but we _want_ to. If you had younger siblings, you’d want to do everything you could to help your mum and da out.”

Niall acknowledges him with a smile and a nod, and he scoots closer to Zayn’s side. “Sorry,” he offers.

Zayn knocks their knees together with a smile, annoyance gone. He shoots a separate smile at Louis, who sits up and crawls across the circle to him.

“You know what I was just thinking, Malik?” he asks.

Zayn shakes his head. “No idea,” he answers honestly.

“I’ve kissed everyone in this circle but you. Think we can fix that?”

Zayn’s surprised but he finds himself licking his lips, eyes dragging down Louis’ face and fixating on his mouth. He nods and Louis leans in slowly, pressing his lips gently against Zayn’s.

He pulls back before Zayn is ready, and he feels himself lean forward to bring their mouths together again. Louis laughs against his lips, just a small breath of air, and is smiling when they pull back.

“So, that happened,” Zayn says, feeling foolish but kind of giddy. He hasn’t kissed anyone since he broke up with his ex in fifth year and having the attention of four fit boys on him is kind of intoxicating.

Louis nods and scoots himself in line with Zayn, careful not to jostle his ink and parchment. Niall leans in and kisses Zayn on the cheek, pulling back with a loud _smack_ ing sound.

“What was that for?” Zayn laughs, using the back of his hand to wipe his cheek.

Niall shrugs and shoots him a winning smile. “Kissed everyone in the circle now except Liam.”

Liam laughs and crawls towards them, pressing a sweet kiss to Niall’s lips before pulling back.

They’re all laughing until Zayn gathers his courage, capping his ink and standing to cross to where Harry’s alone on his side. Harry beams at him, dimples on full display, as he stands to meet him; Zayn having to tilt his head back slightly before lifting on his toes to bring their mouths together.

He’s expecting another soft kiss like the one he shared with Louis, but Harry’s arms wrap around his waist and pull him in even closer, opening his mouth slightly in invitation.

Zayn’s almost _dizzy_ with how much he wants to follow Harry’s lead but he pulls back instead, placing a last soft kiss to Harry’s full bottom lip.

Niall and Louis burst into a round of applause, cheering loudly as the librarian makes another appearance, his frown pronounced until they quiet down.

“Best ‘congrats, you got called up for England’ party ever!” Niall laughs quietly.

“Who hasn’t kissed yet?” Harry asks.

Zayn rolls his eyes. “It’s not spin the bottle.”

“Good, then nothing’s left to chance. Go on, I think it’s just you and Liam left.”

Zayn rolls his eyes but steps closer to Liam anyway. He leans in and presses his lips softly to Liam’s cheek.

He isn’t sure, but he thinks this might be the start of something.

~*~

They’re all sitting at a single desk when Cowell comes back in at the end of the day, surprise evident on his face when he realizes they didn’t leave again.

Harry’s got his head down on the desk, a soft smile on his face as Niall rubs a hand on his back softly. Louis’ saying something to Liam, his voice too low for Zayn to hear where he’s sitting and finishing up his essay on Liam’s other side, Liam’s hand in his unoccupied one. He squeezes before letting go to pack up, biting his lip to keep from smiling too hard.

They linger outside the door once Cowell’s gone, Zayn between Niall and Liam.

“This was fun?” Louis says, voice lilting at the end. “I never thought detention would be an adventure.”

Harry asks, “you never told me, how come you were in detention anyway?”

“I was trying to enchant Liam’s broom so it’d only fly backwards.”

“You _what_?” Liam half-shouts, dropping Zayn’s hand.

Louis shrugs. “Lucky for you, I was a bit shit at it. Got caught and told to report to detention. Don’t act all high and mighty anyway, how come you’re here?”

“I was late for Flitwick’s last exam before N.E.W.T.S. and… maybe yelled a bit at him when he wouldn’t let me sit it still,” Liam admits, sheepish.

Louis winces in sympathy.

“It’s okay, I’ll still be able to sit the finals. And this kind of worked out for me,” he says, squeezing where he’s holding Zayn’s hand between them.

“I purposefully took detention because I wanted some quiet time to study,” Zayn admits.

They all laugh and he feels silly for a moment before Niall pulls him in, kissing his cheek softly this time.

“I think it was worth it,” he whispers in his ear, and Zayn agrees with a smile.

~*~

 

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi: [tumblr](http://sa-voix.tumblr.com/)


End file.
